Final Week!

With the exam date fast approaching, I wanted to remind you not to get too bogged down in the specifics of model solutions. A common pitfall at this stage is spending too much time trying to decode model solutions, especially numerical questions.

At this point it’s far more important to keep all of the syllabus material fresh in your mind using flash cards, condensed outlines, and reviewing the videos and detailed study manual as needed.

During these last few days, it’s best to use past SOA problems to practice your recall ability, time management, and general exam day process.

Whatever you do, don’t let old model solutions cause you second guess what you already know about specific topics. Trust yourself and your preparation, and stay positive!

Remember that it’s extremely uncommon to see a numerical problem reappear in an identical form and that model solutions are often imperfect, incomplete, or don’t represent all ways that the problem could be answered.

As always, feel free to ask me questions as they arise. I will continue doing my best to answer them within a 24 hour period.

Finally, in the off chance that you’re in Orlando this week for the Annual Meeting, don’t be afraid to come up and say hi. I’ll be there.

Practice those exam skills!

I know you’ve already heard me “preach” this, but please don’t forget to budget some study time for working past SOA exam problems under exam conditions this month.

If you haven’t watched it already—or if it’s been a while since you saw it—please watch the video called “How to Prepare for FSA Exams: Tips and Best Practices” in the Introduction section of the online seminar. That video has a number of exam-day strategy tips.

I know you are really feeling study fatigue at this point, but remember that the end is in sight. Give it everything you have this month and finish strong!